Facilitator: Debbie Hicks, BSc
With a comprehensive and varied education background, learning has been at the core of her career. As former President of the Southern Interior Construction Association in BC for 22 years, liaising with the buyers of construction services, architects, engineers and contractors in advocacy and education brings a solid base to her expertise. In addition, her experience as the owner representative for the construction of the new Clubhouse for the Kelowna Yacht Club has provided additional perspective. She has been fortunate to work with the Alberta Construction Association to facilitate industry dialogue on “Optimizing the Flow of Money” and “Non-Standard Contract Clauses and their Costs”. Through these experiences, with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, Debbie is able to bring both knowledge and insight into her work and presentations for the construction industry.
Mark Scharf, BA Hons, MHA, Calgary Health Region and University of Calgary (retired), Senior Director
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Mark recently retired from the University of Calgary where he was responsible for the delivery of capital projects across the organization. The annual workload entailed approximately 400 capital and renovation projects per year with an annual project spend of approximately $150M. During his 12- year tenure as Director, the Project Management Office delivered 9 new buildings including multiple teaching and applied research buildings, major infrastructure renewals, new residence halls and a new main library. Mark was actively engaged with procuring design and construction teams and negotiating and overseeing a wide variety of contracts including Design Build, Construction Management at Risk, Lump Sum and performance-based engagements.
Mark brings 30 plus years of public sector experience with both post-secondary and health organizations including the Calgary Health Region and Age Care Senior Communities. Mark takes pride in building strong teams, mentoring the next generation of project professionals and engaging diverse stakeholders in achieving outstanding results.
Keith Robinson FCSC, RSW, LEED® AP, DIALOG, Associate (retired), Research and Development, Specifications
Keith Robinson graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) as an architectural technologist in 1980, and has worked as a specifications writer since 1981. Keith worked for DIALOG; a multidiscipline architectural and engineering company, since December 1996 until his retirement in early 2023.
Keith’s primary role in the last 25 years of his career was writing construction documentation (specifications and contracts) for technically complex, unique and innovative projects. His project experience ranged from hospital and university campuses, high rise construction, bridge and tunnel infrastructure, and commercial/retail developments. His duties at DIALOG included maintaining the in-house master specification and technical library, and addressing various challenges associated with identifying building materials to address environmentally sustainable construction work results. Keith prepared contract documents for all forms of construction delivery including standard stipulated price agreements, construction management and design build agreements, and public/private partnerships.
Michael Atkinson, LLB (retired), Past President Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Past Secretary Canadian Construction Documents
Michael Atkinson was President of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) from March of 1993 to October of 2017. He joined CCA in 1981. In November 1982, he was appointed Secretary to the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC), a position he held until 1993.
Michael has emerged as a leading expert in the area of standard construction contracts and practices in Canada. In 2013, he was awarded one of 38 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medals designated for Canadians demonstrating outstanding service in the construction industry in Canada.
Michael served as the Private Sector Vice-Chair of the Municipal Infrastructure Forum established by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He was a member of the Federal-Industry Real Property Advisory Council, the Industrial Security Advisory Board, the CORCAN Advisory Board, and a long-time member of the Construction Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.
Dominic Desmarais, P.Eng, Graham Construction, Director Lean Construction
Dominic is a Canadian Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in successfully deploying lean practices in both construction and manufacturing. Dominic has a technical background in industrial engineering, and production system design, where he was first exposed to lean. He applies his passion, curiosity, personal development, and mentoring of others to that cause and to improve project team performance and the delivery of capital projects. Dominic works with Graham Construction, a large North American General Contractor, where he is advancing the integration and adoption of lean construction philosophy, practices, and methods in Canada and the US. Dominic is also committed to a broader adoption of lean as a catalyst to improve the industry. He is a founding board member of Lean Design and Construction Canada, a not-for-profit organization with the mission to further develop and promote the use of lean practices in the Canadian market.
Jim Clement, GSC, Graham Construction, Operations Manager
A seasoned construction professional with over 40 years of experience — the vast majority of which has been spent in the Calgary marketplace — Jim has the ability to think outside the box and finds creative solutions to complex design issues. Jim recognizes and understands the importance of proper cost and schedule control, as well as the interaction required between the owners, consultants, and construction management personnel.
Jim has been the President of both the Calgary Construction Association and the General Contractors Association, has been awarded Person of the Year by the Calgary Construction Association for his industry contributions, and has presented on design collaboration and ensuring optimum value and services for project owners. Jim adds value to his projects through his effective management of project constructability, and an understanding of the full project delivery. As a natural leader, he provides clients with the optimum balance between cost, schedule, quality, performance and project lifecycle.
Jim has worked on a wide array of construction projects including: commercial office buildings, residential towers, retail developments, parks and civil work, industrial facilities, and a variety of other project styles and types.
Bob Hildenbrandt, P.Eng., LEED® AP, GSC (retired)
A dedicated construction professional with over 40 years of experience in the Alberta marketplace. Bob has recently retired from Graham Construction where he was Vice-President, Prairies. He developed and led a regional team of construction groups in Western Canada, focused on performance and client satisfaction.
His prior experience includes leadership roles at Ledcor and PCL with an extensive list of major projects as project manager and executive-in-charge. He was also part of a significant team executing major projects in Alberta’s Oil and Gas market by developing strategic initiatives. Bob has an excellent reputation in building teams, motivating staff, and overcoming challenges in the delivery of construction projects. He has developed strong personal relationships throughout all facets of the industry including Clients, Consultants and Trades.
Bob is a past Chair of the Calgary Construction Association and Alberta Construction Association, and was on the Board and Executive of the Canadian Construction Association, as well as chair of national construction industry organizations focused on BIM and Lean Construction.
